April 2003

Christian Chronicles, April 2003 - Volume 6, Issue 88

The Editor's Pen

This issue of Christian Chronicles will deal with a question that has never bothered anyone who is born again, but it bothers many with whom we come into contact. There are those who call themselves Christians, and who attend church at least once weekly, who also serve diligently, with a surprising zeal, who would nevertheless most vigorously deny that Jesus Christ is God incarnate.

If Christian Chronicles is written for those who actually are Christians, then why must we address this issue on our pages, seeing that we do believe He is God? Perhaps the best reason is because we have all heard that knock on the door, opening it to find a Jehovah’s Witness standing there with his or her copies of Watchtower in his hand, smiling warmly, seeking to come in and persuade us of the “truth” of their doctrine. While there are many, many points of doctrine that separate the genuine Christian from those imposters, the most fundamental difference is found in our apprehension of who the Christ is, and whether or not He is God. Of course, that cult is not the only group with whom we are occasionally confronted who denies the deity of Christ. The Mormons also deny Him. If Jesus Christ is not God, then we are all in most desperate trouble. Fortunately, we have an Authority to look to, our Bibles.

More than to prepare Christian soldiers for the confrontations we have with unbelievers, however, our real aim in presenting this wonderful doctrine in these pages is so that we ourselves, and you, may focus for a time upon those most remarkable events in all the history of the world: the birth, life, death, resurrection, and return of the one and only God-man. As we come to learn more and more of Him, our own standing as children of this great God becomes increasingly clear, and our service becomes more effective. Our lives become richer as we study Jesus Christ, and we are ever so much better-equipped to deal with temporal matters.

Mid-East Update

The war in Iraq is winding down rapidly, though fighting remains fierce in northern regions of that embattled nation. As Saddam Hussein’s main statue in the center of town came toppling to earth, so also did his regime. There is serious question on the international scene whether he was killed in the bombing of a neighborhood in Baghdad, whether he still commands those units of his army that remain loyal to him, or whether he has fled the country, perhaps to Syria. In any case, his government is finished. Iraq’s ambassador to the U.N. claims to have no contact with his government, and has renounced a relationhsip with Hussein personally.

Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), is working with the U.S. and Britain to pull together a government, which he refers to as a “mosaic” government, composed of the three primary Muslim sects, the Shi’ites, the Sunnis and the Kurds. Chalabi has long been strongly pro-Western, and the views of his top lieutenant, Nabeel Musawi, reflect Chalabi’s positions on issues concerning post-war Iraq. Musawi has lived in London for years, but has now returned to Iraq, moving his IT company there already.

The government that is being established in Iraq has already stated that the Arab states that protested against the war will not be welcome in the reborn state of Iraq. Neither will the United Nations be invited to play a key role in any redevelopment of the government. In fact, Musawi, in an interview with the Jerusalem Post said:

“And the UN? ‘They did not play a very honorable role when it came to dealing with Saddam,’ he says. ‘We believe the UN needs to put its own house in order before it can play a credible role here’" (Jerusalem Post, April 10, 2003).

This is a dramatic turn of events, and does not bode well for the French, Russians, Germans or Chinese in terms of trade with Iraq. The sweet deals they had made with the Hussein regime will, of course, be canceled, and it is possible that no new deals will be negotiated with those nations that attempted to prevent the liberation of Iraq.

In a more striking statement, the INC has announced that it desires a special relationship with Israel. According to the Jerusalem Post, “Musawi is equally unequivocal when talking enthusiastically of his hopes for the closest possible ties with Israel” (Jerusalem Post, April 10, 2003). The INC is virulent in its denunciation of the Palestinians, who perpetrated a suicide bombing in Israel as a “gift” to the Saddam Hussein regime. Again, in the Jerusalem Post on April 10:

“Will the Palestinians be welcome to remain in a new, post-Saddam Iraq? "Absolutely not," Musawi snaps. Nor, for that matter, will Arabs who had opposed the US-led war to deliver freedom to the Iraqi people.”

It is certain that the U.S. and Britain will publicly press the new Iraqi regime to soften its stance on the issue of the Palestinians in order to achieve a peace treaty that will establish a Palestinian state. A new initiative will be forthcoming (although nothing has yet been announced to that end) soon that will constitute a break from the “Road Map for Peace” proposed by those four groups that have come to be known as “The Quartet,” The U.S., Britain, Russia, and the U.N. This, because to allow the U.N. and Russia to play a major role in the Middle East peace negotiations now would be a validation of sorts of their actions prior to the war in Iraq. We may expect a reasonable amount of time to pass before Israel finds the “Road Map” unacceptable, leading to a new proposition.

The balance of power has clearly shifted in the Middle East. Although there remains much to be done, the march toward peace in that region will be pushed to the forefront of the consciousness of heads of state in the area. Those nations who have resisted the power of the West will be forced to rethink their positions. After all, who is able to make war with the Western coalition? (see Rev 13:4). Daniel describes the nations who attack the antichrist and his legions as coming from the South, the North and the East (11:40-44). From whence then must the antichrist arise? From the West. We are watching the events that follow the rapture of the Church begin to take shape and unfold in the news media of the world every day. It is a time for rejoicing and service for all those who seek the appearance of the Bridegroom.

Fruit of the Vine

The Bible is Christocentric. This is one of the most fundamental truths about the Bible. Whether implied, or present in type or shadow or symbol, or simply stated outright, Christ is to be found in every passage. There is no portion of the Scriptures which does not bear witness to this most remarkable Son of God.

So many times, when Christians go out to witness, or when Christians come before the whole assembly to share their testimony, the topic under discussion is not Christ, but the Christian himself. He will talk for hours about how Jesus has affected his own life, and will speak freely of the gifts he has received from God, and will often quote promises that appeal to Christians, but almost always in the context of some story about himself — how God blessed him with a better job or a more loving family or (here’s the big one), how God made him less sinful than he was before he was saved.

That sort of testimony is useful in making people “feel” good about their own aspirations to live better lives. But any witness or testimony that focuses more on the Christian and less upon the One for whom he is named is bound in the cords of fruitlessness. What the unsaved need to hear from saved people are words of encouragement, of grace, not of merit. Faith is not about “feeling,” but about knowing. And knowing the truth begins for everyone at the cross of Calvary. If you would be fruitful in your ministry, do as Paul did, “...preach Christ, and Him crucified.”

Perspectives

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(Isa 9:6)

If Jesus Christ is not God incarnate, then we may as well toss our Bibles in the trash and go to a distant mountaintop to heed the words of some guru. If Jesus is not God, we are yet in our sins, He is yet in His grave, and we have no hope of anything, either temporally or eternally. If Jesus is not God, then our Bibles are completely untrustworthy. And if that is so, then there is no truth in the world, and what a sad estate we must find ourselves in altogether. After all, philosophers have been seeking for thousands of years to arrive at the answer to that most simple of questions: “What is truth?” If they ever arrive at an answer, they will all be out of work, won’t they? If Jesus Christ is not God, then He is just a man, and as capable of sin as the next fellow. And if that is so, then He surely lied when he declared Himself to be the Truth (Jn 14:6). If Christ is not the Truth, then there can surely be no truth, for men have sought it for all this time, and the brightest among them seek it yet, all to no avail. The Truth cannot be found outside the Word of God, unless it be found in the hearts and minds of His children.

If Jesus is not God, then it is not possible for Him to have paid our sin debt at Calvary. After all, if He is not God, then He must be only another man, and if that be so, then His blood is as sinful as yours or mine. Thus, He could not pay for the sins of others, for He would have to pay for His own. If Jesus is not God, then we are not saved, nor can be. If He is not God, then those who deny Him but claim that He was a good man, or a prophet, or a great teacher, all lie. For if this One who accepted the prayers and worship of men and forgave sin is not truly and completely God, then He is an imposter. And if He is an imposter, then He is neither a good man nor a prophet, unless He be called a false prophet. If Jesus is not God, as the Bible clearly claims (many references in center article), then He is a temporal creature, not eternal, and the prophets of the Bible all lied. If Jesus is not God, He was not born of a virgin, raised no one from the dead, could not promise eternal life or living water or access to the tree of life, could not save, provide, intercede, betroth. He could not be saved Himself on account of His blasphemy, was not raised from the dead, did not ascend into heaven, did not send the Holy Spirit, and everything that He did, said, taught, and commanded is based upon lies and deception. Who would have such a blasphemous and sinful Savior? Who could worship such a God as One who would provide such a Son for us to worship as this Jesus must be, if He is not God?

Anyone who would call himself a Christian under those circumstances must have a very narrow understanding of anything, and must not feel that he needs God in his own life. If Jesus is not God, then every apostle who contributed to the Scriptures was a liar, all of the prophecies of His return to the earth to establish His kingdom are merely wishful thinking. If Jesus is not God, our holidays are ridiculous, our prayers go no higher than the roof of our mouths, our hope is vain.

If Jesus is not God, then God is not God either. Of course, the world believes that there is a bit of God in each of us, lost and saved alike, and that men will evolve into gods themselves. Well, let us hope that they do; they certainly have a mighty God to contend with. God could not be God who would supply such as Savior as He must have sent if He sent Jesus, and Jesus was not God. If Jesus is not God, then the Son of the Father is a sinner. God’s justice crumbles altogether under the notion that Jesus is not God, for if He is all the things that He must be if He is not God, it would be wholly unjust of God to either save us or call us by His name (Christian). If you sought to truly slander someone, then Christian would be the most appropriate epithet to use. If Jesus is not God, then He is simply another Jim Jones, or David Koresh. If He is not God, He becomes the leader and founder of the greatest cult on earth. What a sad, sick joke God played on us all if Jesus is not our God.

Is Jesus Christ Truly God?

In a word, yes. But let us look at more than a simple pronouncement of fact. Let us examine some Scriptural proofs that Jesus is the Christ, and that the Christ is God Almighty. We will not, of course, have space to examine every reference to this great doctrine in a single issue of Christian Chronicles, but we will have space sufficient to prove beyond doubt that it is so. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament bear witness to the Deity of Christ.

In the sixteenth chapter of Genesis, verses seven through fourteen, the Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar, who has fled from Sarah after Sarah had sent her in to Abram because her heart could not believe the promise of God that she (Sarah) would bear a son in her old age. Sarah became profoundly jealous after Hagar conceived, and began to mistreat her, and Hagar fled. The point of this reference is not the details of the story, however, but the significance is the fact that this is the first time that the expression, “the Angel of the Lord” is used. It is broadly accepted in theological circles that when this title is employed, we are not seeing an angel of the Lord, but a very specific Person. The expression “an angel of the Lord” is also found eleven times in the New Testament. However, the presence of the indefinite article, “an,” indicates that in those cases, it is probably an angel. Where the definite article, “the” is used, what we are seeing is called a theophany—a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ Himself, in the flesh, fully grown, hundreds and even thousands of years before He was born in Bethlehem. There are moments recorded in the Bible in which Jesus stepped out of eternity into time in order to confront a particular person or situation, appearing in the flesh; and then He steps back into eternity and disappears from view. This passage in Genesis is one of those.

Farther along in that same book (18:2-23—esp v. 17) is another example, which makes it more clear that the Angel of the Lord is God Himself, in human form. And then, in Psalms, the Messiah, or the Christ, is explicitly called the Son of God (2:2-7) and the Anointed One. If a man has a son, that son is not a lower creature than himself. He grows and becomes a man, like his father. The same principle applies with God. The Son is God, just as His Father is God, although the Son is as eternal as His Father. It is only in the flesh of His humanity that He is created. When the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived, that Seed that she bore was God’s Seed, not a man’s, and the fleshly fruit of her womb was Emmanuel, God with us.

When one compares Psalm 45:6-7 with Heb. 1:8-9, it is seen immediately that the One spoken of in the Psalm is none other than Jesus Christ. The same is true of Psalm 110:1 and Matthew 22:44. There are other comparisons that may be made as well, such as Psalm 110:4 with Heb. 5:6; 6:20; 7:17-21.

The virgin birth of the Messiah is prophesied in Isaiah 7:13-14, and the fulfillment is recorded in Matthew 1:22-23. No one born of woman other than the Son of God has been physically conceived of the Seed of God. The Greeks had their demigods, supposedly conceived between a pagan god and a woman, but that was merely the devil’s attempt to so abuse the idea as to create doubt when that time should come for the real God to be born of a woman. He (the devil) is an eternal creature, and knew that the Son would come to the earth in the flesh of a Man. He created his counterfeits beforehand in order to be able to discredit the only real God-Man when He should arrive. Isaiah also ascribed divine names and titles to this One whom he said would be born of a virgin (9:6-7).

Finally, but hardly exhaustively, the Old Testament declares the eternal nature of the Second Person of the Trinity (Mic 5:2—cp. Matthew 2:6; Jn 7:42). Dr. A.T. Pierson states that there are over 300 prophecies related to the Christ in the Old Testament. Each of those which have already been fulfilled were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, the Christian Redeemer, Fount of Grace, and love of God personified. Those prophecies range from the works that He did, His birth, ministry, death, resurrection, return, kingdom, and His eternal estate, and they cover all of it in such minute detail as to preclude even the possibility that Jesus was not the predicted Messiah, or God Himself. Isaiah’s prophecy (9:6) specifically calls Him “Almighty God and Everlasting Father.” The Old Testament prophecies that have been fulfilled have seen that fulfillment recorded, not in secular history, as the wisdom of man would require, but in the words of the Holy Writ itself, in the New Testament. That anyone should question the Deity of Christ is arrogance beyond measure.

We know that Jesus is called the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14, 19:16), and Peter tells us plainly (Acts 2:36) that God has made Him both Lord and Christ. More than that, however, Jesus Himself, in seven places, applies the great Jehovistic “I AM” to Himself.

To the woman at the well, He said, “I who speak to you am He” (Jn 4:26). Notice that the translators chose to italicize the “He” in that verse. That means that the word is not in the original manuscripts, and has been added for clarification. Wherever you see a word italicized in the KJV or NKJV, it means that the word has been added. It may be deduced that this affirmation of His own Deity is implied in His statement to his disciples as he approached their boat. He was walking upon the tempestuous sea, and said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid” (Jn 6:20). In a dispute with the Pharisees, Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins” (Jn 8:24). As was the case with the story of the woman at the well, here also the translators have added the word “He” after the “I AM,” but the text does not contain it, so that Jesus was clearly declaring Himself to be equal with Jehovah, who said, “I AM that I AM” (Gen 3:14) Jesus repeated this formula in the twenty-eighth verse of the same chapter. In verse fifty-eight, He states it as clearly and as succinctly as it can be stated. He said to the Pharisees, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Again, in John 18:5,6, when Jesus was sought by the authorities who would carry Him to His trial, and they said they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth, He said to them, “I AM.” And again, “I AM.”

When the Pharisees began to question Jesus in Matthew (22:42-45), He claimed to be the Adonai of Ps 110:1. His claim was somewhat indirect, but there is no question that the Jews understood His meaning clearly, for no one dared to question Him further.

In Matthew, Mark and John, Jesus declared His identity with the Father (Mt 28:19; Mk 14:62; Jn 10:30). In the first reference, He lists the three Persons of the Trinity in His command to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is clear that he was indicating a triune Godhead, and including Himself in it. In the second reference, He said, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” In the third reference, in John, Jesus said plainly, “I and My Father are One.” That anyone could take the clear affirmations of the Son of God and so misconstrue them as to suggest that He is not completely equal with the Father is incomprehensible. Yet, many do that very thing. There will be a Day in which they will be required to answer for the rebellious heart that spawns such statements. It is the day of the great white throne judgment.

The Jews certainly did not misinterpret what He was saying. When He finished saying that He and the Father are One, the next verse says that they took up stones (again) to stone Him (Jn 10:31). Verse 33 is a clear proof that they so understood Him, for when He asked why they stoned Him, they replied, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” In John 14: 8-9, Philip asked the Lord to show him the Father. And what was Jesus’ reply? “Have I been with you so long, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say ‘Show us the Father?’” Finally, in His great High Priestly prayer, just before He met those who came to carry Him to trial, He said, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (Jn 17:5).

There were other ways as well in which Jesus affirmed His own Deity. For example, He had the authority to forgive sins, the highest of the authorities of God. He forgave a paralytic in Mark 2:5-7, and He forgave the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair in Luke 7:48-50. How privileged that woman was to have been able to so humble herself before God, and to minister to Him as she did. She must have seen herself much as old Job did in his own book (Job 40:3), or as David saw himself in Psalm 51. Christian, she must have seen herself much as we ought to see ourselves when we look at the Christ. And yet, we have an advantage that she did not have, for we can look at ourselves as in Christ, with every sin forgiven and forgotten! He sees us as that new man, and that is how we should see ourselves, in spite of the deeds of the flesh.

Jesus also displayed the attributes that belong to God alone. This, as much as anything else, is proof positive that He is God, for only God can forgive sins. In Matthew 18:20, He openly declared His omnipresence when He said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Also, in John 3:13, while standing right in front of Nicodemus, He said, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” On at least two occasions, Jesus proved His omniscience. When Lazarus had died, and Jesus was yet fifty miles away, He informed His disciples that the man was not dead, but sleeping, and that He would awaken him. John eleven, eleven through fifteen, puts it this way: “These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’”

Jesus, not being within fifty miles of Lazarus, knew that his death was not permanent, but that he was only “sleeping” temporarily. On another occasion (Mk 11: 2-8), before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He informed His disciples where they would find a donkey that no man had ridden before. He also saw Nathanael under the fig tree long before he arrived there (Jn 1:48, 50). On that occasion, Nathanael openly confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, and worshiped Him. When Jesus was at the Passover in Jerusalem, it was said of Him that, “He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (Jn 2:25).

Another of the attributes of God that Jesus claimed for Himself was omnipotence. He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Mt 28:18). Luke records the omnipotence of Jesus thus: “Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise’” (Lk 7:14). In John 5:21-23 Jesus claimed all the authority of God Himself, and in 6:10 He demonstrated that authority by feeding five thousand people with five barley loaves and two small fish. He showed His mastery over the natural elements by calming the raging sea, granting eternal life, changing water into wine, as well as a host of other miracles.

If Jesus were a Prophet, but not God, He would never have accepted or approved of the worship of Himself by men. However, after Peter had stepped out of the boat and walked upon the water himself, losing faith when he saw that the sea was boisterous, and he was beginning to sink, and Jesus took him by the hand, rescuing him, those in the boat worshiped Him (Mt 14: 22-33). He accepted this as His due. It certainly was His due. Again His disciples worshiped Him as recorded in Mt 28:9. Thomas, after seeing and touching the risen Lord, said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28).

All of these New Testament references are instances where Jesus Himself attested in one way or another to His own Deity. How very strange that any should doubt. Yet, far more doubt than believe. But there is more than just this to offer in proof of the Deity of Christ. There is the testimony of the writers of the New Testament.

John, Luke, Paul, and the writer of the Hebrews epistle all ascribed titles of Deity to Christ (Jn 1:1; 20:28; Acts 20:28; Rom 1:4; 9:5; 2 Th 1:12; 1 Tim 3:16; Titus 2:13; Heb 1:8; 1 Jn 5:20). In addition, Matthew, John, the writer of the Hebrews epistle, and Paul all ascribe the perfections and attributes and works of God to Jesus (Mt 11:28; 18:20; 28:20; Jn 1:2, 3-10; 2:23-25; 3:13; 5:17; 21:17; Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:3, 11-12 with 13:8; Rev 1:8, 17-18; 11:17;22:13).

If all of the above does not constitute a grand sufficiency of proof of the Deity of Christ, there is yet more. Luke, Paul, the writer of the Hebrew epistle, and John all insist that the highest worship be paid to Jesus. Stephen, dying by stoning, called on God (according to the Scriptures), saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59:60). Paul, in his first epistle to the church at Corinth, declared that Christ Jesus is his Lord, both his and ours (1 Cor 1:2). He said to the church at Philippi that, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11). The writer to the Hebrews commands that the angels should worship Him (1:6). Finally, John, in the book of Revelation, said, “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” (Rev 5:13-14).

According to Paul (Rom 1:4), Christ’s resurrection is proof of His Deity. Jesus was not “raised” from the dead. He raised Himself from the dead. He said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (Jn 10:18). What dead man has ever been able to raise himself from the dead? All who have ever died have remained dead, saving only those whom our Lord raised when He came out of the tomb Himself. Then, many graves in Jerusalem, which had broken open in the earthquake at His crucifixion, were seen to be emptied of their occupants. It is one thing, however, to raise someone else from the dead (a very great thing indeed!), but it is something altogether of a higher magnitude to raise oneself from the dead as Christ did.

Those who would deny the Deity of Christ are standing on little reasonable ground except for their own unbelief and the reasonings of men. They deny the Word of God, who is Himself the Son of God, and they stand in graver peril than anything “reasonable” might suggest. There are many reasons for men to take such a blasphemous position. Most probably fear the judgment of God, having heard only of His severity, and never of His grace. Others might fear the ridicule of their fellows more than the judgment of God. Whatever the cause, there is ample testimony, given over thousands of years, that clearly show that Jesus Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, is indeed fully God and fully Man. Those who resist that testimony shall bear their own judgment.

Editor’s note: The material in this article is adapted from C.I. Scofield’s magnificent footnote at Jn 20:28 in the Scofield Study System, Holy Bible, Oxford University Press, 2002, Pg. 1489

The Hypostatic Union

Hypostatic is a derivative of the word hypostasis, which may be defined as “the substance, essence, or underlying reality” (American Heritage College Dictionary). In theology, it refers to the union of the two essential natures of Christ, both human and Divine. Jesus was not half God and half Man. Rather, He was both 100% God and 100% Man. He was the union in flesh of both the human and Divine natures and essences. The second Adam, it was necessary that He be fully human. At the same time, it was necessary for Him to be fully God, in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind.

The book of Ruth is the story of the kinsman redeemer. The principle is underscored in that brief book. A famine in Judah sent Elimelech and his wife Naomi and their two sons to Moab, where they settled. Elimelech died, and his two sons married Moabite women. Then the two sons also died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law alone in Moab. Naomi determined to return to Judah, but suggested that Ruth and Orpah remain in their native land. In short, Ruth returned with Naomi to Judah, to the village of Bethlehem. A very wealthy man, Boaz, who was related to Elimelech, allowed Ruth to glean from his fields when the reapers had finished gathering grain, and he instructed the reapers to leave extra grain in the field for Ruth. Naomi instructed Ruth as to how she should behave toward Boaz, and Ruth faithfully followed those instructions.

Under the Law of Moses (Lev 25: 5-10; 25-34), a close relative can redeem the lost property of his kin if he is willing to do so and if he has the means to do so. There was a relative closer than Boaz, so that he had first rights to redeem the property. That relative was unable to redeem the property, without ruining his own inheritance, leaving Boaz free to do so himself, which he happily did. Then Boaz took Ruth as his wife (see Scripture reference above) in order to perpetuate the name of her deceased former husband. Boaz and Ruth had a son, Obed, who became David’s grandfather.

In order to become our Redeemer, it was necessary for the Second Person of the Trinity to be a close relative, that He might legally purchase that which was lost. Thus, He had to become a man. John 1:14 tells us that “...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” He had earlier (vv. 1:1-2) declared, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

Prior to the incarnation, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word of God, had no human nature. That was imparted to Him in the Virgin Mary’s conception by the Holy Spirit. But He did not and could not empty Himself of His Divine attributes. He did empty Himself of His preincarnate glory in order to suffer humiliation and death as our Kinsman Redeemer, but He retained His full Divine nature and personality.

The doctrine of the hypostatic union is stated thus: "In the incarnation of the Son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with the Divine nature in the one Person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remaining distinct, whole, and unchanged, without mixture or confusion so that the one Person, Jesus Christ, is truly God and truly man" (Walter A. Elwell, Ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology,” pg. 540).

Like the Trinity itself, the doctrine of the hypostatic union is difficult for the finite mind to comprehend. Indeed, it is impossible for us to fully understand it, but it is a simple thing for us to believe it.

Just as Boaz had to be a close relative of Ruth, as stated earlier, Christ had to be a close Relative of man. And just as Boaz had to have a heart that was willing to pay the redemption price for the lost property that had belonged to Naomi and her two sons, and therefore, to their widows, so also did Christ have to become willing to pay the redemption price for mankind. Matthew records the transaction this way: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Mt 13: 44-45). Many preachers hold that the sinner sells all that he has to purchase Christ, but that interpretation fails in many particulars. Rather, it is Christ who “sold” everything that He had in order to redeem the purchased possession.

Finally, just as Boaz was a close relative, and had a willing heart, he also had to have the means to redeem the lost property. Thus, Christ also had to have the means to redeem the lost race of mankind. The price Boaz had to pay was merely money, but Jesus had to pay with His life blood. Hebrews tells us that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins (9:22).

Since God cannot cease to be God under any circumstances, and since the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and God cannot be killed, it was necessary for this God-Man to die a human death on our behalf. God did not die on Calvary. The Second Adam died in order to pay for all the sins that mankind has committed all through all the ages. In the fullness of His humanity and His Deity, Christ, Son of Man, suffered human death, but not Divine death. In that same light, neither do Christians “die” when their bodies “fall asleep,” but their spirits go immediately into the very presence of Him who died for us (2 Cor 5:8).

Jesus Christ, the only God-Man, Son of God, Son of Man, Kinsman Redeemer of the purchased possession, lives ever as the only member of the Godhead who is truly both God and Man in an hypostatic union.

Equality with God

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

(Phil 2:5-8)

Who is equal with God? Is a “good man” equal with God? Is a prophet equal with God? Are the angels equal with God? Only God is equal with God. When Jesus claims equality with God, He does not blaspheme. And, if He is indeed equal with God, then He must, by necessity, be God. Unbelievers, and some heretics, deny the Deity of Christ. Yet, the Scriptures abound with clear statements that, taken plainly, cannot be argued or refuted, to the effect that Jesus is indeed all that God is. The Scriptures do not ask for our opinon on this matter. Neither does the temporal rationale affect even in the tiniest way the essence of the Word of God. If the Bible is true, then Jesus is surely the third Person of the Trinity, and thus, completely God. While His hypostatic union with His flesh renders Him fully Man, that same union with His eternal essence makes Him fully God as well. Assenting that the Scriptures are the authority for all sound doctrine, the Deity of Christ cannot be denied. Denying the central authority of the Scriptures, one might argue that Jesus is not God, but your neighbor’s dog.

Before the foundation of the ages, the Son of God existed eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit. All the glory that sits on heaven’s throne is the glory of the Father and the Son equally. The passage quoted above shows clearly that Jesus emptied Himself of His divine glory when He was born a Babe in Bethlehem. Had He retained His heavenly glory, He might have been accepted among the Jews by acclamation. Who has the power or the Authority to strip God of His glory? Only God has that power. Jesus stripped Himself of His own preincarnate glory, and thus, He must be God. And why did He do that? Hebrews 2:9 tells us that He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. Were Jesus Christ just a man, He would not have had to be made lower than the angels. If he were not God, He could die without being made lower than the angels. But, as God, He could not be killed at Calvary or elsewhere, and so, He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of the death of His flesh.

No regenerated Christian would ever claim that Jesus is not God. How can one be saved if Jesus is not God? The very notion is theologically silly. Rather, what unregenerate man seeks ever to do is to bring God down to his level so that he need not fear Him. A god who is just a man is not very intimidating. He “might” be defeated if push came to shove. But a Redeemer who is God speaks with authority and power, and His word alone is sufficient to cause the stoutest heart either to quake in fear or rejoice in His grace. To the believer, the Deity of Christ is not a doctrine that even requires questioning. Rather, those who have been made free by a knowledge of the truth rejoice to know that their God loves them enough to have set aside His eternal glory and humiliate Himself for their sakes, dying the worst death imaginable, as the Scriptures say, despising the shame (Heb 12:2), bearing our sins and healing us by His stripes (1 Pet 2:24). For the Christian, our rejoicing is in the fact that our Redeemer is the Christ, and the Christ is God. Our God is not small and insignificant, but wise beyond our powers to comprehend, powerful beyond our poor understanding, and larger than the minds or reasonings of men. Our God is that great God who knew the only way by which sinful man might be saved by grace through faith, by His own sacrifice of Himself, as the propitiation for our sins.

In the Form of God

“...which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God”

(Phil 2:6)

Being in the “form” of God. “Form” is from the Greek, “morphe,” and denotes “the external appearance by which a person or thing strikes the vision; yet it is an external form truly indicative of the inner nature from which it springs.” (Scofield Study System, Oxford Univ. Press, 2002, Pg 1629). The use of the word “morphe” is a very strong NT affirmation of the Deity of Christ. One of the names by which the Christ was known was “Emmanuel,” or, “God with us.”

While the Jehovah’s Witnesses use the indefinite article “a” or “an” in such passages as these, it is impossible to suggest that Jesus is not truly God without adding that article. They would like to make Jesus a god, but to do so would only serve to make Him a false God. For there is no god who is not God. There are many lords, but only one Lord, as they report, but there is only one real God, and there are no subordinate gods who serve Him. When the Christ came to the Earth, He took on the flesh of a Man, but His real essence could not be diminished. When He took on the form of a Man, that form reflected the God who was His inner nature. While His external appearance was that of a Man, the Scriptures state plainly and eloquently that His form was a visible manifestation of the only true God.

From Everlasting

Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, presented a sweeping prophecy that ranged from the Assyrian invasion of the northern ten tribes to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom. He identifed the King, not as a temporal man, but as an eternal King. He said, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousand of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Mic 5:2).

As much as any other single verse in the Scriptures, Micah proves the Deity of Christ in this statement. For only God is eternal, “from everlasting.” While we have eternal life, we are created beings. Christ was not created, but was coexistent with God throughout the farthest reaches of eternity past. Isaiah wrote: “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy…” (Isa 57:15).

A Notice to Subscribers

When we began this publication in the spring of 1995, we determined that we would never ask for donations. This promise has been on our website ever since that time. To date, we have not done so, and we are not doing so now. Jesus did not beg for money from those to whom He ministered, and we do not believe that it is appropriate for Christian ministers to do so either. The loud, haranguing television preachers who have made Christian ministries an offensive odor in the nostrils of so many unbelievers and who bilk millions of the poor and unsuspecting out of their life savings have become a modern day blight on the true Church, making it ever more difficult to operate a sincere ministry. Once money is mentioned, the association is immediately drawn with the charlatans who practice their craft like the moneychangers of old in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Christian Chronicles has always been supported by only three, and occasionally four, families. What started as a newsletter produced by a small local church has grown into a worldwide independent ministry, with subscribers in almost every nation on almost every continent. Indeed, the only continent where the word of reconciliation is not preached through this publication is Antarctica, and we were represented there until our lone subscriber, the manager of a weather station, rotated back to the States.

While we do occasionally receive donations from subscribers, it is a rare event, one marked by mild celebration among the staff. Rather than beg for money, we seriously discussed discontinuing the paper version of CC, leaving only the far less expensive Internet version. However, we have study groups all over the world who use this publication as a teaching aid, and many people have intimated that it is an important part of their spiritual lives. The suggestion was made that we charge a nominal subscription fee, but was rejected because we do not know how many of our subscribers might be denied the paper due to their poverty. There are probably more financially-strapped Christians in the world than wealthy ones. Besides, to charge a subscription fee would be to break the promise that we have sustained for this long.

With our subscriber list growing rapidly, however, and with those who regularly support this ministry finding themselves unable to meet the demands of a growing ministry, we felt moved to simply notify our subscribers that, while we will never send you threatening or tearful pleas for money, it would not be inappropriate for us to let all of our subscribers know that our support must come from those who reap the fruits of this ministry. All who support a fruitful ministry lay up treasure in heaven against the Day when we stand before the Lord to receive the reward for our labors. We do not ask everyone to contribute, but those who are moved by the Holy Spirit after praying about this ministry.

Finally, international subscribers are in a more difficult position, since banks in this country charge as much as $35US per international transaction, making it hard for those subscirbers to contribute in large enough amounts for us to realize any net receipts from them. Therefore, if we are to continue to fulfill our part of the Great Commission, it must be the domestic subscribers who bear the burden of supporting the international ministry. It has been our distinct pleasure over the years to know that our efforts have taken the Gospel to the four corners of the earth. We shall continue to do so as long as God provides the means. Let us all work together to keep this ministry going!